Stoke City face big decisions with the 7 players set to leave next year | OneFootball

The Potters are set to allow these players to depart at the end of the season

Stoke City are set to lose numerous first-team players next year, with their contracts due to expire at the end of the season.

Spanish head coach Narcis Pelach has only had a month to assess his squad so far but will have to sanction some big decisions in the coming months as the Potters decide who to keep around, or who to let leave, in 2025.

Stoke allowed some key first team members, such as Tyrese Campbell, to leave upon the expiry of their deals earlier this year, and so sporting director Jonathan Walters is clearly no stranger to making important decisions that have implications in the transfer market.

It remains to be seen what kind of decisions Stoke will make in months to come, so with that in mind, FLW have taken a look at the seven players who are currently set to depart the Potteries next summer, and whether the club should renew their deals or allow them to leave for pastures new.

Michael Rose

Michael Rose joined Stoke last summer, putting pen to paper on a two-year deal on a free transfer from Coventry City after four years with the Sky Blues.

The 28-year-old was a near ever-present in his debut season at the bet365 Stadium as he made 41 appearances in all competitions, but suffered an ankle injury in pre-season which meant he missed the start of the new campaign.

He faces strong competition for a place in the starting XI with Ashley Phillips, Ben Gibson, and Ben Wilmot all battling with him in the centre-back pecking order, but has been a regular under Pelach so far.

Stoke should look to keep him on for another year at the end of this term as he is a reliable Championship defender, and there seems little reason to let him leave just to replace him with another centre-back of a similar age and ability.

Jordan Thompson

Northern Ireland international midfielder Jordan Thompson was due to be out of contract at the end of last season but saw the option to extend his deal by another year triggered by Stoke due to his growing influence on Steven Schumacher's side in 2023/24.

Thompson has been a useful utility player for Stoke over the years and mainly featured at left-back last season in the absence of Enda Stevens but has returned to his usual defensive midfield position this term.

The 27-year-old is the Potters' current longest-serving player after Campbell's summer departure and has made over 150 appearances for the club since joining in January 2020, but it feels like the right time to let him move on next year, with his influence likely to wane throughout the rest of the campaign as Bosun Lawal and Ben Pearson return to fitness soon.

Jack Bonham

Jack Bonham has not been able to nail down a consistent starting spot in goal for the Potters since his arrival from Gillingham in 2021 but has featured a lot more than a number two keeper would expect, due to injuries, player sales and loans being recalled.

Bonham was signed as third-choice by Michael O'Neill but ended up playing 17 times in all competitions in his debut campaign, then featured 27 times in 2022/23 and even played 16 games last season.

He signed a contract extension last November to see him through to next summer, and he should be allowed to leave at the end of the season after four years at the club.

Stoke currently have England youth international Tommy Simkin in their ranks, and his impressive campaign on loan at Walsall so far means that he will surely be set to return and challenge Viktor Johansson for the number one spot next season, leaving Bonham as third-choice if he stays.

Emre Tezgel

Emre Tezgel has been highly rated for several years as a youth striker and is just beginning to make his mark on senior football, so it may come as a surprise to Potters fans that he features on this list.

He made his first-team debut at 16 years old in 2022 but is now 19 and has fully broken into Stoke's first-team this season, and started to score goals at senior level for the first time in his short career out on loan at MK Dons last season.

It is imperative that Stoke tie him down to a new long-term deal as quickly as possible. He is widely seen as the future of the club and has the potential to go to the very top - as his past links to the Premier League show - so they must keep hold of him while they can.

Lynden Gooch

Lynden Gooch joined Stoke from boyhood club Sunderland on a two-year deal last summer but failed to nail down a consistent starting role under Alex Neil or Schumacher in his maiden season at the bet365 Stadium.

The 28-year-old featured 30 times in all competitions, scoring twice, and was a handy versatile option to have from the bench after he played as a full-back on both flanks, wing-back on both flanks and at left-wing for the Potters.

He probably had more game time than expected at the start of this season, but is currently injured and may find it tough to break back into the starting XI under Pelach before the end of this term, especially if January additions are made at right-back and on the wings.

With that said, Stoke should not renew his deal, and allow him to depart next summer to find a new club.

Enda Stevens

Left-back Enda Stevens was set to leave Stoke in May but accepted a contract extension to keep him at the club until next summer despite a largely tough first season in the Potteries.

He joined the club from Sheffield United last summer on an initial one-year deal, and was a fairly consistent starter at the beginning of the campaign, but suffered a calf injury in December that kept him out of action until March.

The Republic of Ireland international came back into the fold and impressed towards the end of the campaign, prompting the Potters to offer him a new 12-month deal, but he has been hampered by injuries again in the last few months and has not long returned to action.

Given his experience, Stoke may debate keeping him on for another year, but age is not on Stevens' side, and he should be allowed to leave next summer to make space for new, younger additions to Pelach's squad, and for a final move of his career at 34-years-old.

Frank Fielding

Veteran goalkeeper Frank Fielding only signed a short-term contract with Stoke upon his arrival on a free transfer in December 2021 to cover for injuries, but he has since penned three different contract extensions at the club to date, with the latest coming at the end of last season as he extended his deal for another year.

He has rarely featured on the pitch while with the Potters, but that is understandable since he is now 36 years old, and he is likely a very useful, experienced head to have in the dressing room when younger players need advice.

If Simkin does return to the Potters' fold in the summer, then it will surely be a choice between Bonham and Fielding for the third-choice keeper, and it seems a lot more likely that the latter will accept that role, given his age.

It would not be a shock to see Fielding remain at the club for another year, as a result, but if he doesn't, it may spell the end of his 17-year career that has seen him make 364 appearances for 10 different clubs.